Electronic device for communication within a network and method for operating an electronic device

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to an electronic device for communication within a network, comprising a first interface ( 6 ) enabling communication with at least one further electronic device ( 1   a.    1   b,    1   c,    1   d,    1   e ) within a network ( 8 ) according to a first communication standard, a storage ( 5 ) for storing a first address of the at least one further electronic device ( 1   a,    1   b,    1   c,    1   d,    1   e ), said first address relating to the first communication standard, and a controller ( 4 ) for requesting a second address from said at least one further electronic device ( 1   a,    1   b,    1   c,    1   d,    1   e ), said second address relating to a second communication standard within said network ( 8 ), wherein the second address is stored together with the first address in the storage ( 5 ). The present invention further relates to a method for operating an electronic device.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.12/273,252, filed Nov. 18, 2008, and is incorporated herein byreference. Application Ser. No. 12/273,252 is based upon and claims thebenefit of priority from prior European Patent Application No. 07 122406.7, filed Dec. 5, 2007.

The present invention relates to an electronic device for communicationwithin a network and to a method for operating an electronic device.Specifically, the present invention relates to the field ofcommunication according to different communication standards.

In general, electronic devices are used in a wide field of applications.Such electronic devices may for example be a personal computer, atelevision, a video-recorder, a DVD or HDD recorder, facsimile devices,digital cameras, mobile terminals for wireless communication or otherelectronic consumer devices. An important task in developing electronicdevices is to enable the devices to be connected to a network or toother electronic devices and to communicate with each other.

When connecting electronic devices either directly or via a network theused communication standard sometimes does not fulfil all therequirements which are needed for effectively communicating within thenetwork. For example electronic devices may be connected to each otherusing a communication standard with a very low bandwidth. In this casethe communication standard is not adapted to other applications whichrequire a higher bandwidth.

It is therefore the object of the present invention to provide anelectronic device as well as a method for operating an electronic deviceenabling an efficient use of capacities on a network and an enhancedcommunication.

This object is solved by an electronic device for communication within anetwork according to claim 1 and by a method for operating an electronicdevice according to claim 13.

The present invention relates to an electronic device for communicationwithin a network, comprising a first interface enabling communicationwith at least one further electronic device within a network accordingto a first communication standard, a storage for storing a first addressof the at least one further electronic device, said first addressrelating to the first communication standard, and a controller forrequesting a second address from said at least one further electronicdevice, said second address relating to a second communication standardwithin said network, wherein the second address is stored together withthe first address in the storage.

The present invention further relates to a method for operating anelectronic device for communication within a network, comprising thesteps of providing a first interface enabling communication with atleast one further electronic device within a network according to afirst communication standard, storing a first address of the at leastone further electronic device in a storage, said first address relatingto the first communication standard, and requesting a second addressfrom said at least one further electronic device, said second addressrelating to a second communication standard within said network (8), andstoring the second address together with the first address in thestorage.

Preferably, the electronic device comprises a second interface enablingcommunication with the at least one further electronic device within thenetwork according to the second communication standard.

The controller can be adapted to send the request for the second addressvia the first interface. Alternatively, the controller can be adapted tosend the request for the second address via the second interface.

Advantageously, the second interface enables communication with a highbandwidth.

Further, advantageously, the second interface enables a communicationbased on the Ethernet standard.

The controller can be adapted to request a single second address from asingle further electronic device. Hereby, the controller is preferablyadapted to request from each further electronic device the respectivesecond address.

Alternatively, the controller is adapted to request a list comprisingall first and second addresses of all further electronic devices from asingle further electronic device.

Advantageously, the first interface enables transmission and receptionof control functions.

Further, advantageously, the first interface enables communicationaccording to the consumer electronics control CEC standard.

Preferably, the first address is a CEC logical address and the secondaddress is an IP Ethernet address.

The present invention will now be explained in more detail in thefollowing description of preferred embodiments in relation to theenclosed drawings in which

FIG. 1 shows a schematic block diagram of an electronic device accordingto the present invention,

FIG. 2 shows a network comprising the electronic device according to thepresent invention, and

FIG. 3 is a flow-chart showing the process steps of a method accordingto the present invention.

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram showing the elements of anelectronic device 1 according to the present invention. The electronicdevice 1 comprises an input means 2 for enabling input of data and/orinformation by a user. The input means 2 may be a keyboard, a mouse, atouchpad, recognition of speech, an interface for receiving data inputover a remote controller, for example an infrared interface, or anyother interface enabling the user to input data/or information or toselect applications or programs. In addition, the main electronic device1 comprises an output means 3 for outputting data and/or information toa user. The output means 3 may be a display, light emitting diodes(LED), a loudspeaker or any other graphical user interface adapted tooutput data and/or information to the user.

A storage 5 is further provided for temporally or permanently storingdata, information, programs, applications and the like. The storage 5hereby may be divided into different storage spaces each providingdifferent types of memory, i.e. a random access memory RAM, a flashmemory or other types.

The input means 2, the output means 3 and the storage 5 are allconnected to and in data communication with a controller 4. Thecontroller 4 hereby controls and supervises the transmission andprocessing of data and/or information within the electronic device 1.The controller 4 further supervises the operation of the electronicdevice 1.

In addition, the electronic device 1 comprises a first interface 6 and asecond interface 7 both enabling a communication of the electronicdevice within a network 8 with at least one further electronic device.The first interface 6 and the second interface 7 can both be adapted toenable either a wireless or wired connection within the network 8.Alternatively, each interface may comprise a multitude of interfaceseach being adapted to communicate with different further electronicdevice. The first interface 6 and the second interface 7 are alsoconnected to and in data communication with the controller 4.

FIG. 2 shows the electronic device 1 according to the present inventionand several further electronic devices 1 a to 1 e which are allconnected to the network 8. Alternatively, the electronic devices can beconnected directly with each other. According to the present inventionthe communication within the network 8 can be accomplished by using atleast two different communication standards. Specifically according tothe present invention the electronic devices 1. 1 a to 1 e cancommunicate according to a first communication standard and according toa second communication standard. Hereby, the electronic device 1 and thefurther electronic devices 1 a to 1 e each have a first address withinthe network 8 relating to the first communication standard and a secondaddress within the network 8 relating to the second communicationstandard. The first communication standard hereby is a slow connectionhaving a slow bandwidth and the second communication standard is a fastconnection having a high bandwidth. Specifically, the firstcommunication standard is a communication according to the consumerelectronics control (CEC) standard and the second communication standardis a communication based on an Ethernet connection. Specifically, thefirst interface 6 provides a HDMI connection having an additional CECline.

The first interface 6 of the electronic device 1 hereby enables acommunication according to the first communication standard and thesecond interface 7 of the electronic device enables a communicationaccording to the second communication standard. By using two differentcommunication standards and connecting the electronic devices 1, 1 a to1 e via a network 8 thereby enabling communication using differentcommunication standards, the advantages of the different usedcommunication standards can be combined, so that for example acommunication standard having a low bandwidth can use the othercommunication standard when the need arises to transmit large amounts ofdata.

The present invention further provides a possibility to administrate theaddresses of each electronic device 1. 1 a to 1 c connected to thenetwork 8 and using different communication standards.

In the following, the present invention will be explained, whereby thefirst communication standard is a communication standard relating to theconsumer electronics control (CEC) standard and the second communicationstandard is related to a communication based on an Ethernet connection.The first address is hereby a CEC logical address and the second addressis an IP Ethernet address. Nevertheless, the present invention is notintended to be limited to the above types of communication standards butcan be adapted to any other type of communication standard. Further, thepresent invention is not limited to the use of two differentcommunication standards but can also adopt three or more communicationstandards. In this case in the electronic device 1 a third or moreinterfaces can be provided.

The method of the present invention will now be explained with referenceto FIG. 3. The process begins in step S0 for example with switching onthe electronic devices 1, 1 a to 1 e connected via the network 8.

In order to enable a communication according to the CEC standard, theelectronic device 1 has to get the logical addresses of all connectedfurther electronic devices 1 a to 1 e in order to enable a propercommunication within the network 8. The electronic device 1 thereforecan send polling messages to all logical addresses within the network 8in order to receive an answer from each further electronic device 1 a to1 e reporting the respective CEC logical address. Otherwise each furtherelectronic device 1 a to 1 e can automatically send a message reportingthe logical address to which it is connected after being switched on.The same applies in case that an electronic device 1 a to 1 e is newlyconnected to the network 8. In this case the newly connected electronicdevice 1 a to 1 e will report its logical address to the other devices1, 1 a to 1 e connected to the network 8.

In the next step S2 the electronic device 1 will store the receivedlogical CEC addresses in the storage 5. In order to enable theelectronic device 1 to use the second interface and the secondcommunication standard, namely the Ethernet connection, also for thepurposes of transmissions according to CEC applications, the electronicdevice 1 has to link the respective CEC logical addresses to therespective IP addresses within the Ethernet connection. This list of CECaddresses and corresponding IP Ethernet addresses is stored in adatabase. The electronic device 1 therefore checks if it is possible toget the whole database from a single further electronic device 1 a to 1e or if it is necessary to request the Ethernet IP address from eachfurther electronic device 1 a to 1 e separately. The electronic device 1therefore in step S3 checks whether a database request is provided.

If a database request is possible then the electronic device 1 in thenext step requests the database containing a list of all CEC logicaladdresses and of all IP addresses from a single further electronicdevice 1 a to 1 e. That means that a single further electronic device 1a to 1 e holds the whole database comprising the list of CEC and IPaddresses and is adapted to transmit the whole list upon request.

Otherwise if no database request is provided then in the next step S5the electronic device will send a request to each of the furtherelectronic devices 1 a to 1 e thereby requesting from each furtherelectronic device 1 a to 1 e the respective IP Ethernet address.

A first possibility for requesting the second address is to use thefirst interface 6. The electronic device 1 hereby uses the firstinterface 6 and the CEC communication standard for sending a request forthe IP addresses. Here fore new CEC commands and answers could beadopted. In order to request the whole database a command “get database”could be adopted. Likewise in order to request each address separatelythe command “get IP address” could be adopted. Further it is possiblethat the electronic device 1 sends the request for the database to onespecific further electronic device in case the electronic device 1 knowsthat there is a specific further 1 a to 1 e electronic device 1 a to 1 eholding the database and being adapted to send the whole database.Otherwise the electronic device 1 will broadcast the request for thedatabase via the network 8 and wait for an answer.

A second possibility for requesting the second address is to use thesecond interface 7. In this case the IP address is requested via anUniversal Plug and Play (UPnP) mechanism and the traffic goes over theEthernet connection, i.e. over the second interface 7. In answer to therequest a device description file, e.g. a XML file, can be receivedcomprising all necessary information such as the IP address and the CEClogical address. That means, that the further electronic device 1 a to 1e links its own first address to its own second address and is adaptedto send a file comprising both addresses.

In the next step S6 the electronic device 1 will store the received IPEthernet addresses together with the logical CEC addresses in order tohave a link between the logical CEC addresses and the IP addresses. Withthis list the electronic device 1 is adapted to look up which IP addressbelongs to which CEC address and can thereby use the Ethernet connectionfor CEC features.

In the next step S7 after the list has been stored in the storage 5 theelectronic device 1 can use the different addresses for applications.For example at present when using a combined HDMI and CEC connection iswas only possible to transmit the HDMI signal into one single direction.Since the present invention now adopts the possibility of additionallyusing a fast Ethernet connection the HDMI signal can now be sent in bothdirections over the Ethernet. Further it is possible to transmitcommands and data relating to sound or other media related data via theEthernet connection. This results in a reduction of the cables andconnections which are necessary between the different electronic devices1 a to 1 e.

In the next step S8 the electronic device 1 checks if one of the furtherelectronic devices 1 a to 1 e did not answer upon sending a request orpolling message. In case this further electronic device 1 a to 1 e didnot answer then in the next step S9 the respective further electronicdevice is deleted from the list stored in the storage 5. Otherwise, ifall further electronic 1 a to 1 e devices keep answering then in thenext step S10 the list is kept in unamended form. Additionally, in casea device gets newly connected, then this device after having reportedits CEC logical address will be requested to also transmit its IPaddress and the electronic device 1 will update the list stored in thestorage.

The process ends in step S11 for example with switching off theelectronic devices 1, 1 a to 1 e.

In order to simplify the handling it is possible to use one singleconnector which comprises the cables and connections for the Ethernetconnection as well as for the CEC connection. Thereby the user isenabled to connect the different electronic devices via one single cablebut has the possibility to use a wide variety of communication standardsin order to have large possibilities of using his system of electronicdevices.

Further, it is to be noticed that even though the present invention wasdescribed only with reference to one single electronic device 1, it isclear that each of the further electronic devices 1 a to 1 e connectedto the network can be adapted to carry out the same steps as thedescribed electronic device 1, so that each of the further electronicdevices also holds a list of CEC addresses and associated IP addressesin order to use the Ethernet connection.

The invention claimed is:
 1. An electronic device comprising: a firstinterface configured to communicate with another electronic devicewithin a network according to a first communication standard, the firstcommunication standard being a Consumer Electronics Control (CEC)standard; a second interface configured to communicate with the anotherelectronic device within the network according to a second communicationstandard, the second communication standard using an Internet protocol(IP) address of the another electronic device, wherein the electronicdevice is configured to determine whether a list comprising firstnetwork addresses relating to the first communication standard andsecond network addresses relating to the second communication standardof each of a plurality of electronic devices within the network can beobtained from a single other electronic device; if the list can beobtained, obtain the list; and if the list cannot be obtained, obtainfrom the another electronic device a network address for the anotherelectronic device relating to the second communication standard.
 2. Theelectronic device according to claim 1, wherein the electronic device isconfigured to request respective network addresses relating to thesecond communication standard from each of a plurality of electronicdevices within the network.
 3. The electronic device according to claim1, wherein the first interface enables transmission and reception ofcontrol functions.
 4. The electronic device according to claim 1,wherein the electronic device has a first network address relating tothe first communication standard and a second network address relatingto the second communication standard.
 5. A method comprising:communicating with another electronic device within a network via afirst interface of an electronic device configured to communicateaccording to a first communication standard, the first communicationstandard being a Consumer Electronics Control (CEC) standard;communicating with the another electronic device within the network viaa second interface of the electronic device configured to communicateaccording to a second communication standard, the second communicationstandard using an Internet protocol (IP) address of the anotherelectronic device; determining whether a list comprising first networkaddresses relating to the first communication standard and secondnetwork addresses relating to the second communication standard of eachof a plurality of electronic devices within the network can be obtainedfrom a single other electronic device; if the list can be obtained,obtaining the list and if the list cannot be obtained, obtaining fromthe another electronic device a network address for the anotherelectronic device relating to the second communication standard.
 6. Themethod according to claim 5, wherein the electronic device has a firstnetwork address relating to the first communication standard and asecond network address relating to the second communication standard. 7.The method according to claim 5, further comprising: requestingrespective network addresses relating to the second communicationstandard from each of a plurality of electronic devices within thenetwork.
 8. The method according to claim 5, wherein the first interfaceof the electronic device enables transmission and reception of controlfunctions.
 9. The method according to claim 5, further comprising:sending a request, addressed with a first network address of the anotherelectronic device, for a second network address of the anotherelectronic device for communicating over the second interface with theanother electronic device.
 10. The method according to claim 9, whereinthe request for the second network address is sent via the firstinterface.
 11. An electronic device comprising: first means forcommunicating with another electronic device within a network accordingto a first communication standard, the first communication standardbeing a Consumer Electronics Control (CEC) standard; second means forcommunicating with the another electronic device within the networkaccording to a second communication standard, the second communicationstandard using an Internet protocol (IP) address of the anotherelectronic device, wherein the electronic device is configured todetermine whether a list comprising first network addresses relating tothe first communication standard and second network addresses relatingto the second communication standard of each of a plurality ofelectronic devices within the network can be obtained from a singleother electronic device; if the list can be obtained, obtain the list;and if the list cannot be obtained, obtain from the another electronicdevice a network address for the another electronic device relating tothe second communication standard.